Running with Insomnia

My sleep habits have been all over the place over the last month or so. I’ve had nights where I would sleep for 13 to 14 hour straight or in 15 minute chunks over 12 hours, waking, checking time, and falling asleep again with no REM time at all. Lately, I’ve been getting about 2 hours per night.

Unable to sleep the night away and only able to sit in front of my computer for so long, I’ve been going for these late-night runs as I had mentioned in previous blog entries.

Last night was probably my hardest and longest run to date. I started just after midnight with an enthusiasm of running a marathon. It was already a Portland Autum rain this evening but I started off in just my running shorts, sneakers, long sleeve top, raincoat and wool cap. Of course, I also had my hip pack of two waterbottles, powerbar, MP3 player, cell-phone, wallet and some energy gels. I finished around 3am.

Here’s the route I took: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=496374

My runs are getting longer but last nights was a killer. It’s not the cardio challenge, it’s the wear on my legs that’s really tough. I’m just not used to this yet! Out of the 10.5 miles, I walked maybe 2 of those, one of which was the last mile since I was thoroughly soaked and legs were freezing. I guess I need to read up on running in the rain.

The hardest part of this run was Rocky Butte. It’s a steep climb and long descent.